Why Some Guys Can't Handle a Hermione: A Look at the Breakup of Emma Watson and Francis Boulle

Emma Watson and Francis Boulle were romantically linked a
while back and it barely created a buzz in the US. But Francis recently made
headlines as the type of guy we ladies love to hate.

Aside from being a reality star — which, in my book, is
reason enough to dislike the kid — he recently dumped one of our favorite
Hollywood sweethearts because he was afraid of being outshone by the formidable
woman she’s becoming. The craziest part of this is that he’s being completely
honest about it.

When asked about his abrupt breakup with Watson, her
ex-beau Boulle said, "We had a
bit of a thing a while back. But I have always been an ambitious person and I
want to achieve my own notoriety for what I’ve done. That’s why I chose not to
pursue it any longer, because I didn’t want to be the boyfriend of some child
actress."

My first reaction to this was, What a condescending ass! ‘Some’ child actress for heaven’s sake.
Of course, he then clarified through Twitter that he has “the utmost respect for
her.” Yeah. Jerk.

But after I shook off my initial irritation, I got to
thinking.

There are two “types” that can explain this guy. It’s perhaps
easiest to identify this d-bag as a little boy with a fragile ego who can’t
handle the glow of success in anyone close to him, much less a woman. Lord
knows there are enough of those around; they’re either afraid of being
upstaged by an ambitious partner because they feel insecure or guilty about
their own lack of achievement, or they have the antiquated notion that the man
should be the breadwinner and this flip-flopped relationship makes him
“uncomfortable.” Ugh.

But there’s another type of guy who looks a lot like said
d-bag, but really has a more logical, equally irritating motive for ditching his
successful, desirable, absolutely-nothing-wrong-with-her, grade A girlfriend. I
call them “super-planners.”

This is the type of guy who takes on the world with a
concrete plan for achieving success, security, and, ultimately, romance. These
guys are often very attractive to equally ambitious women who want to avoid
deadbeat guys they feel cannot keep up with them and, hey, the Francis Boulles
of the dating world.

Unfortunately, super-planners stick SO stubbornly to their
plans that they won’t deviate from them for anything — especially not for a
great romance that, according to their life schedule, comes at the wrong
moment.

Regardless, if find yourself one of the broken
hearts either of these goofballs leave behind, the most important thing to
accept is that it has nothing to do with you. If your newly-minted ex is of the
Boulle variety, just keep in mind that he was the inadequate one, not you, and
the fact that he broke it off with you proves he was well aware of the fact.

If he’s of the second, less fragile variety, the only thing to blame is timing —
and his stubborn fixation with planning. So keep on succeeding, Emma-style, because neither is worth your tears, and neither had anything to do with you.

Emmie Scott is an English major-turned-marketing exec, with a passion for writing, humor, sharing knowledge, and "pink drinks." After hours, she started Are Toe Rings Professional Attire?, a blog for college grads and twenty-somethings looking to find their way through that daunting labyrinth called…